Manchester City Women vs Reading Women. Women's Super League.
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Report and free match highlights as Man City continued their charge towards WSL glory by seeing off Reading in impressive style, extending their unbeaten run on home turf to 10 matches; Chloe Kelly cancelled out Sanne Troelsgaard's opener; Bunny Shaw scored her 18th league goal of season
Monday 1 May 2023 07:27, UK
Manchester City closed the gap on WSL frontrunners Manchester United after sweeping past Reading 4-1 thanks to goals from fearsome front three Chloe Kelly, Bunny Shaw and Lauren Hemp, as well as a sublime Steph Houghton free-kick.
"We can't just rely on Bunny Shaw for goals," Gareth Taylor remarked pre-match, so the fact that City shared the spoils between four different scorers on an utterly dominant afternoon will presumably please their manager no end.
The hosts were forced to come behind after Sanne Troelsgaard fired Reading into a shock lead with only two minutes on the clock, but Taylor's side responded valiantly with a glut of well-taken goals to re-establish their foothold in this season's intriguing title race.
In-form Kelly was first to strike in the 15th minute, notching her sixth goal of the season, before Shaw converted Alex Greenwood's pinpoint corner with a powerful header nine minutes later to glean a half-time lead.
Hemp scored two minutes into the second period, benefiting from an insatiable drive from Kelly down the right and applying a simple back-post finish to a teasing delivery, while the gloss was added by captain Houghton in the 70th minute.
The defender stroked an outstanding free-kick into the bottom corner of Grace Moloney's net from 20 yards, with very little sign of life from Kelly Chambers' side after the break, who were suffocated by City's comfort and class.
As a result, the Citizens continue to pile pressure on league leaders Manchester United, who remain three points better off, while establishing a four-point buffer between themselves and third-placed Chelsea.
Reading, comparatively, are living dangerously and perilously close to slipping out of the top flight with only three games left to improve their standing at the foot of the table.
After a momentary scare, City were back to their imperious best on home soil, extending their unbeaten run at the Academy Stadium to 10 league games.
Troelsgaard's glorious opener rather stunned the home dugout, who could be seen nervously shuffling on the touchline before Kelly eased any lingering tension by stabbing home a close-range equaliser.
Nine minutes later, normal service was resumed when Shaw converted her 18th league goal of the season, edging one ahead of Aston Villa's Rachel Daly at the top of the division's scoring chart.
Hemp then put Taylor's side firmly on course to slash Man Utd's lead at the top by meeting Kelly's cross with a timely run to the back post. Across the 90 minutes, the hosts managed a staggering 537 accurate passes, maintaining a 91 per cent success rate.
Houghton, primed to take advantage of Reading's fragility, dealt the killer blow with the goal of the afternoon to cap a first-rate performance, as she continues her personal crusade to make a late bid for England's World Cup squad this summer.
The result, routine in the end, keeps City importantly in touch with United ahead of their meeting on May 21, which may yet serve as a title showdown, with Marc Skinner's side needing a last-gasp winner to secure victory at Aston Villa on Friday.
Chloe Kelly was outstanding throughout but electric in the final third. Scored one, assisted another and was a thorn in the side of Reading's brittle backline, who were given a torrid time by the vibrancy of both Kelly and Lauren Hemp.
It's no wonder the pair rank first and second respectively for expected assists in the WSL this term. Kelly worked both flanks wonderfully well, after swapping to the left when Hemp was withdrawn in the second period, and has now registered six goal contributions in her last three league outings (three goals, three assists).
"I didn't want the game to end," she told mancity.com at full-time. "We've got an amazing front three, I enjoy playing with such great talent and I feel we just bounce off each other and enjoy playing."
Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor:
"I thought the way we responded was great, we were a bit sloppy at the beginning.
"We didn't deal with the situation very well but I felt once we got back to 1-1 then we would win the game, I was really confident.
"You don't want to be, at this stage of the season, not playing for anything and I think you know with three games left it's great for us to win. So I think we're in a good space."
Manchester City winger Lauren Hemp:
"It shows a lot of character from the whole squad," Hemp told mancity.com.
"We've stuck with the same process throughout the season, we are getting better and better.
"We are privileged to be in a pressure situation, it's important we use this pressure to our advantage. The main thing is we are focussing on ourselves, the league has shown us that anything can happen.
"It is going to come down to the final few games, we are feeling good as a team and it's exciting to be a part of."
Manchester City will end their season with three local clashes. Gareth Taylor's side go to Liverpool next Sunday, before travelling to Manchester rivals United a week later. City end the campaign with a home game against Merseyside club Everton.
Reading's next game is a home tie against Aston Villa next Sunday, before going to Tottenham a week later. The Royals' final game is at home to Chelsea.
